


Band of Buttinskies

by Metal_Chocobo



Category: Lemonade Mouth (2011)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 10:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9436454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Chocobo/pseuds/Metal_Chocobo
Summary: Everyone in Lemonade Mouth not only needed to know Stella’s business, but comment on it as well.aka, the five conversations Stella has after she decides to ask Mo out.





	

“Hey Scott,” Stella said, elbowing her bandmate in the side. “Not that I’m not super psyched to be drinking with you, buddy, but you don’t usually come with me to lesbian bars.”

“I just didn’t want to drink alone,” Scott mumbled. He glared at his beer glass.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Stella asked, shifting so she could get a better look at him. He definitely looked glum. From the way he suddenly hunched up Stella thought he wasn’t going to tell her, but then he groaned and buried his face in his hands.

“Mo dumped me.”

“Seriously?” Stella said. She sipped her beer. “Good for her.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side,” Scott snapped.

“Dude,” Stella laughed. “You know she’s always been too good for you.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Scott groaned. “I think it’s for good this time. She said she’s tired of rehashing the same old BS.” They clinked their glasses together in a silent toast.

“Do you think she’ll say yes if I ask her out?” Stella asked. Scott choked on his beer.

“The fuck?” he spluttered. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No way, I mean, Mo’s bi and if she was willing to date you, why not me?” Stella asked. She shot finger guns at herself. “I am clearly a significant upgrade.”

“No way,” Scott laughed. Stella glared as his laughter neared hysteria. He was attracting the attention of patrons at some of the nearby tables. “What makes you possibly think she’d date you just because she got tired of me?”

“I’d date her over you,” one lady at the nearest table said. Her companions all nodded in agreement.

“No offense, but you’re obviously biased as a lesbian,” Scott said. 

“Well, I’m bi and I’d rather date that foxy lady over you, skinny jeans,” another woman at a different table said. Several of the women started cackling and one of them hi-fived her. Stella tried not to join in on the laughter.

“Tell you what, since you’re obviously not convinced that I’m the superior option, we’ll put it to a vote,” Stella said. She got to her feet and climbed on top of her chair. The bartender wasn’t thrilled about this, but Stella grinned and cajoled her into giving her five minutes’ grace. Luckily, by the time she turned to grab the crowd’s attention she already had it. “Sorry to interrupt your evening everyone, but my esteemed colleague and I were having an argument. We were hoping you could settle this.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually doing this, Stella,” Scott groaned. He liked the spotlight on stage, but this sort of attention grabbing behavior that came natural to Stella typically made him uncomfortable.

“Pretend for a minute that you’re bisexual,” Stella continued, ignoring his complaints. “By a raise of hands, who would you rather date? Scott?”

She gestured at him when she said his name. Scott shifted uncomfortably on his barstool as the crowd stared at him. No one raised a hand. Stella scanned the crowd in case someone in back might be considering it, but all she could see were women looking vaguely bored. Someone coughed.

“Or would you rather date me, Stella Yamada?” When Stella pointed to herself about seventy-five percent of the hands in the room went up. That included the occupants at both tables who had first interrupted their argument and the bartender. Stella laughed and slapped her knee. “Holy shit, thank you!”

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Scott said. Stella ignored him.

“Hey, excuse me,” Stella said, eagerly rapping her knuckles on the bar to get the bartender’s attention. “I’d like to buy a round for the house.”

“Are you serious?” the bartender asked. Scott echoed her sentiment.

“Yeah, I just interrupted everyone’s evening to ask a stupid question, which I won, the least I can do is buy them a drink,” Stella grinned. She handed over her credit card. “Lemonade Mouth’s a smash hit, I can afford that. Oh, but I’d like to keep this quiet, if possible? I don’t want everyone buying your top shelf vodka on my dime.”

“You’re crazy. You know that, right?” Scott grinned.

“Hey, my life is a series of grand gestures and never backing down,” Stella drawled. “It’s part of what makes me the fearless leader you know and love.”

“Well, fearless leader, you’re buying me some top shelf bourbon,” Scott replied. At Stella’s look he added, “Hey, you just embarrassed me in front of a bar full of people and you’re trying to get with my ex. The least you could do is buy me a nice drink.”

“Like you couldn’t do that yourself, but touché.”

Stella signaled so that they could order their next round. When the bartender returned with their drinks she had a large grin on her face for Stella. She winked back. As the woman sashayed away Stella grinned into her drink. Considering the fact she only just found out about the break up, now wasn’t the time to ask Mo out. However, as she had just been aptly reminded, there was a bar full of interested women. Even if she didn’t go home with any of them, Stella was sure she’d still have a good time.

* * *

Just because most women would like to date her didn’t ensure any lady in particular would. Stella understood this truth better than most and was musing over it as she nursed a coffee on the tour bus the next morning. Considering how much she and Scott had drunk last night she was a little surprised to be awake at this hour, but here she was the only member of the band up to watch the sunrise. Sure that was rather late in the day, considering it was the middle of winter, but it still left Stella feeling retrospective.

Perhaps asking Mo out wasn’t such a good idea. Sure she was smart, funny, and gorgeous, with a tongue that could shred a man to ribbons in less than a sentence, but what could Stella offer her? She had almost as much money as her—probably more so actually, since Mo didn’t randomly buy one hundred strangers in a lesbian bar a drink—and she’d known her since sophomore year of high school, so she could see through her bravado. There was no question Stella was a better option than Scott, but was she really good enough for Mo? She could have anyone she wanted, if she went for it, and Mo deserved the best.

Problem was Stella knew that wasn’t her. What would Mo even think if Stella asked her out? Especially since Scott had only just broken up with her. She’d totally come off as some sort of vulture, moving in for the kill when Mo was at her weakest being freshly out of a relationship. And what would Stella do if she said no? She could typically handle rejection pretty well, but this was Mo, her bandmate and friend. What if she said yes? What if she said yes for the wrong reasons? Stella would never forgive herself if she asked Mo out and she only agreed to it to keep the band together. Lemonade Mouth did not need that sort of awkwardness and drama, which of course would ensue under those circumstances.

Stella had almost talked herself out of asking Mo out when Charlie slid into the booth across from her. As soon as he was seated his head hit the table and rattled back and forth as he groaned. Stella snickered and shoved her half finished drink into his hand, which wrapped around the mug immediately. He needed coffee more than she did.

“Surprised to see you awake,” she said.

“Shit, what time is it?” Charlie asked

“Early enough I’d still be in bed if I could,” Stella sighed. She rose from her seat to fill a new cup. “Too keyed to sleep, you know?”

“You got a song percolating?” he asked before sipping the coffee and making a face. Charlie ripped open two packets of sugar and dumped them into the half cup.

“Not really?”

Though of course now that he asked she could hear the start of some cords if she really strained. Unlike Wen and Olivia, who could be absolutely workmanlike in their songwriting abilities, Stella had to chase her songs. Usually they were fleeting and they’d lead her on for months through daydreams and nightmares while dancing around the edge of her conscious thought. However, once she finally got them down on paper Stella’s songs were especially vivid. Every one of them had been well received, either by fans or critics and occasionally both. They had an absolutely gorgeous music video in production for her latest hit that Stella couldn’t wait to show the world. Still, she wished composition came easier to her.

Stella sat back down and sipped her coffee. It was weird seeing Charlie awake like this. Stella wasn’t a morning person, that would be Olivia, but normally someone had to drag Charlie out of bed to get him up in time for practice. Seeing him sitting mostly upright like a normal human being and visibly tracking before noon suggested something strange was happening. She wanted to know what it was.

“Okay, seriously, what’s going on?” Stella asked. “You should be asleep for at least another six hours.”

“I wasn’t that drunk when you and Scott got back from the Happy Muffler,” Charlie began. He grabbed a muffin out of the decorative basket bolted to the table. Stella had to smirk at the bar name, she loved terrible euphemisms.

“Good for you?”

“Scott said you were going to ask Mo out?”

“And?”

“Are you going to?

“Going to what?” Stella wanted him to say it. If he was going to expect her to explain herself he had better be ballsy enough to actually ask her the question. She was under no obligation to explain herself to him.

“Fuck, Stella, are you going to ask Mo out?” Charlie demanded, clearly exasperated.

“Yeah,” Stella replied, feeling her hackles rise. “What’s it to ya?”

“You can’t do that,” he hissed. “It’s Mo!”

“I know, that’s why I want to ask her. Who wouldn’t want to date Mo?”

“Come off it, Stella, you can’t ask her,” Charlie insisted. “She only just broke up with Scott, so she’s fragile. You can’t fuck with her like that.”

“Are you implying that I wouldn’t treat Mo with respect?” Stella asked. She could feel her temper already starting to get away from her, but she was going to do the best she could reining it in. The rest of the band didn’t need to wake up to her screaming.

“Dude, you play the field constantly. You leave a trail of broken hearts in our wake. I mean, come on Stella, you’ve gotten more lays than me, Wen, and Scott put together.”

“Considering the fact Wen’s been in a committed relationship with ‘Liv since high school and Scott’s been on-again-off-again with Mo for the same amount of time I’m not surprised I’ve had the most conquests,” Stella said. “However, if you think I wasn’t respectful of every lady I had a close encounter with, you’re dead wrong. I have never intentionally led anyone on and I’ve always delivered on my promises.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Mo knows exactly what she’s getting into if she agrees to go out with me and there’s no guarantee she’ll say yes,” Stella snapped. “Mo’s a smart lady and she’ll make the decision that’s right for her. I’ll be cool with whatever she chooses, but I can’t understand why you don’t even want me to ask unless… dude, do you still have a thing for her?”

“Shut up,” Charlie growled. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“You asked her out in high school right after the first time she broke up with Scott. She said no.” Stella was kind enough not to add on that Mo would still say no to him now. She wasn’t really angry any more and she’d have to be super pissed to inflict that sort of blow to her friend’s typically fragile ego. “You know I’ve liked her since high school as well, Delgado. We got super close senior year after you, Wen, and Olivia graduated. But unlike you, I never got the chance to ask her out in high school. Don’t I also deserve a chance, even if it is only for rejection?”

“Fff,” Charlie hissed. He ran his hands through his hair before slumping in defeat. Stella allowed herself a victory smirk as she sipped her coffee. There wasn’t a decent argument to be made, especially since now that half the band knew about Stella’s interest in Mo there’d be awkward tension until the bassist either accepted or rejected her.

“Hey guys, I wasn’t expecting to see either of you sleepy heads up at this hour,” Olivia greeted them. She poured a glass of lemonade from the pitcher in the fridge and sat down next to Stella. “What’s the special occasion?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Stella shrugged. Charlie mumbled something similar. Thankfully he was equally uninterested in sharing her feelings with Olivia.

“That’s a shame,” Olivia said. Her eyes lit up when she noticed the basket. “Ooo muffins!”

* * *

A week had passed since Scott’s admission and Stella hadn’t found a chance to ask Mo out. A little of that was nerves, but mostly there just hadn’t been time. They were in a particularly heavy chunk of their schedule; playing at a different venue every night and yesterday they even had a matinee session. There were days when Stella couldn’t find a chance to pee, much less get five minutes alone with Mo. She wanted the request to be smooth and natural. Something that would be as low stress as possible, at least for Mo. So she was waiting until things cooled off enough that personal conversations didn’t have to happen at machinegun fire speed.

“Damn, my string broke,” Stella said, lightly smacking the bottom of her guitar. The remainder of her string curled like a pig’s tail near the top of her guitar’s neck.

“Did it cut you?” Olivia asked.

“Naw, my fingers are made of tough stuff,” Stella said, wiggling them. When she noticed Mo looking she winked at her and added, “but they’re still super flexible too. Magic fingers!”

Mo snorted and rolled her eyes, but she was grinning so Stella considered that a win. “Do you need a new string?”

“Yeah, all my spares are on the bus,” Stella said eagerly. This might finally be her chance to talk with Mo. If nothing else, it was a chance to flirt and she’d never pass up an opportunity for that.

“Then it’s lucky I’ve got some spares in my bag,” Wen chimed in, completely ruining the moment. 

Mo just grinned and shrugged at her before turned to talk with Olivia, so Stella stomped over. Wen’s keyboard was stationed near the side of the stage mostly so that he could duck off, or more often be handed something, as he invariably forgot something essential during the concert. Besides, having his huge set up off to one side so that the more mobile members of the band could groove out during the show had become a signature feature of their concerts. Luckily, Wen wasn’t big on being the center of attention, so it worked out for everyone.

“Why are you carrying guitar strings?” Stella asked. “Your keyboard’s electric and I doubt they’re for your baby grand at home. Would guitar strings even work in a regular piano?”

“They’re for Olivia in case a string breaks when we’re composing,” Wen explained. He pulled a pack out of his bag and offered them to her. “Or anyone else, really. I like to be prepared.”

“Good on you, Gifford,” Stella said, lightly punching her friend in the shoulder. Grabbing the pack she tore it open with her teeth and pulled out a string. “Seriously thanks, but I probably could have gotten one from Mo.”

“I wanted to talk to you about her,” Wen said, lowering his voice and glancing at the other girls.

“Seriously?” Stella said, feeling her blood chill. She glanced around the stage. It seemed that her string breaking had signaled a five-minute break for the work crew as well as the band. No one was paying them any attention.

“Charlie was upset you wanted to ask her out and Scott confirmed your intentions,” Wen explained. “So, I have to ask, are you going to?”

“Is this your way of saying you want to ask her out first?” Stella snarked. She liked Wen, but she was sick of all the men in her life second guessing her choices and insisting she make different ones.

“What? Of course not, I adore Olivia,” Wen said earnestly. His face softened as he looked over at his girlfriend. “Depending on how well this new music video drops and if our record sales stay on pace, I want to ask her to marry me after this tour ends.”

“That’s fricking fantastic, Wen!” Stella laughed, shaking him. “Does she have any idea?”

“Shut up, no,” he hissed. “She has no idea. No one does. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone because I didn’t want it messing up the band’s mojo, which is exactly what you asking Mo could do.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Stella said, even though she really kinda could. “Mo dated Scott just fine, despite him being in the band. How am I any different?”

“Scott’s only in the band because Mo brought him in. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a serviceable guitarist, has a great voice, and a pretty face, but he’s not Lemonade Mouth. You are.”

“Wen…”

“Stell, you’re our front man, the literal face of our band and that’s despite the fact Olivia is not only a singer and a songwriter, but the gosh darn prettiest girl I’ve ever seen,” Wen said. “You’re charismatic and, for better or worse, we follow where you lead. I don’t want that to be off a cliff because you and Mo implode.”

“Your faith in my interpersonal skills astound me,” Stella said flatly. If he was going to lecture her she’d do something productive, like replace her broken guitar string.

“It’s not that I doubt you, it’s that you and Mo matter more than Scott and I’m scared,” Wen said. “If this last breakup was bad enough that we had to take sides, there’d have been no contest; we’d dump Scott in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah,” Stella grinned. “When Mo broke up with him over that groupie last year I offered to beat him up and leave him trapped in a gas station bathroom.”

“My point is, we can’t choose between you and Mo. If you broke up, it’d be the end of Lemonade Mouth if it went down wrong.” He laughed ruefully. “Heck, depending on how messy the break up was it might be the end of ‘Liv and me.”

“Oh buddy, that would never happen. She’s crazy about you,” Stella said. “Look Wen, I can’t promise you that if Mo and I dated then broke up that wouldn’t be the end of the band. However, a million things could end Lemonade Mouth! That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be the best damn band we can be, does it? I want to have the fullest life I can possibly have and if I can find genuine happiness with Mo, shouldn’t I pursue that?”

“I just don’t want to see you two crash and burn,” Wen said.

“Worry about that after we get together,” Stella ordered, crossing her arms. “Besides, I doubt she’d even say yes.”

“Mmm,” Wen hummed, biting his lip. He was making that face he did whenever he knew something, but wasn’t allowed to say it.

“Dude,” Stella said excitedly. “Are you holding out on me? Is it about Mo?”

“Gifford, Yamada, how long does it take to change a guitar string?” Mo shouted. “Olivia and I would like to finish this set before we lose Scott and Charlie to the arcade next door!”

“And there’s a song I wanted Mo to try singing lead on,” Olivia added. “Sorry.”

“Well, we gotta hear that,” Stella laughed. She tweaked the peg for her new string and plucked it a few times. It sounded okay, though she’d want to retune everything before the show tonight. “Alright. Let’s go!”

* * *

“So, a little bird told me you like someone,” Olivia grinned.

“Oh my god, can anyone in this band other than me keep a secret?” Stella groused.

“What secret are you keeping?” Olivia asked.

“Never mind that,” Stella said, not wanting to reveal Wen’s secret even if he had spilled hers. “What do you want to do? Warn me off? Order me not to ask her out for the integrity of the band?”

“I was going to tell you to follow your heart,” Olivia laughed. “I’ve known you liked Mo for years.”

“Seriously?”

“Of course,” Olivia said. “You’re gentle with her in a way you aren’t with anyone else.”

“I’m gentle with you.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never been at my beck and call the way you have for Mo when she’s sick. Or stayed up late watching Bollywood films, eating ice cream, and talking smack about guys like you do for her after every bad break up.”

“Okay, I’ve never done those things with you because you have Wen and you’ve never broken up with him,” Stella said.

“And Mo was with Scott for at least half the times you took care of her,” Olivia retorted, rolling her eyes. “I’ve seen the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching, Stell. It makes my heart melt.”

“You’re the first person to actually be in favor of us dating,” Stella said. Since Olivia was the only one who seemed to care about her thoughts and feelings, Stella decided to ask her advice. “Do you really think I should ask her?”

“I think you’d make a cute couple, but I do have some reservations about you two dating,” Olivia admitted. “You have a bad habit of acting before you think and tend to hurt people’s feelings when you lose your temper. Mostly we brush it off, but it’d be different for Mo if you were dating and she’s a sensitive person.”

“You’re right,” Stella groaned. “I don’t know what to do. Should I even ask her? I doubt she’d say yes… she could have anyone.”

“I don’t know about that,” Olivia said, squeezing her shoulder. “Just… if you do decide to ask her, think long and hard about what you’ll say before you say it. Winging it works pretty well for you most of the time, but you don’t want to screw up when it really matters.”

“Thanks ‘Liv,” Stella said. Olivia grinned and nodded.

There was a knock on the door and an intern poked his head into the room. “Ladies, Mr. Colbert will be announcing your band in five minutes.”

“Thanks, we’ll be ready,” Olivia said. Stella nodded in agreement.

Shortly thereafter Stephen Colbert announced Lemonade Mouth and the band came on stage. Everyone trooped on stage and took one of the many seats surrounding Colbert’s chair. Typically Wen and Olivia or Stella were the ones who sat closest to the host whenever they were on a talk show. Wen because he was their main composer and could generally give good sound bites, while Olivia or Stella filled the other roll depending on how nice or polite they needed to be. However, today Mo slipped into the seat closest to Stephen before anyone else could sit down. Stella should have realized from the start that meant she had something to say.

After they were settled Stephen, briefly summarized what the band’s recent accomplishments were before asking what was new. “What’s going on personally for you hepcats? I want the nitty-gritty details.”

There was a lot of noncommittal murmurings before Mo spoke up, “Scott and I broke up a month ago.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?” Stephen said. Mo didn’t stop smiling, but she did glance at Scott. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat to catch Stephen’s attention.

“It was a mutual decision. We finally realized that the reason we kept breaking up was because we were better off as friends,” Scott explained, mildly altering the details so that he came off a little better. “The main we kept getting back together was because our schedules lined up and we knew what we were getting into with each other.”

“We’re still friends of course and the band isn’t really changing,” Mo added. “We’ve had enough off periods over the years it’s simply been business as usual. I think we’re totally over it now.”

“I’m glad to hear you’ve recovered so well,” Stephen said. “Does that mean you’re already to start dating someone new? What are you looking for now?”

“Women,” Mo said.

Stella clapped a hand over her mouth, which muffled her laughter, but it wasn’t in time to high her grin. She couldn’t believe Mo decided to come out that flippantly, that was the sort of shit she pulled, but she completely loved it. The rest of the band was also taken aback at Mo’s words, but of course no one was surprised. Stephen, on the other hand, was clearly surprised though managing his reaction quite well.

“Really, so this means you…” Stephen said, trailing off for Mo to fill in the rest.

“Bisexual yes,” Mo smiled. “I’ve known for years, but I’ve only ever dated men. A lot of that goes back to high school when I wasn’t supposed to date at all and I ended up with a secret boyfriend—Scott—which sort of worked because it was fairly safe? I mean, at least if my parents found out about it they’d understand. That wouldn’t have been the case if I had been dating a girl.”

“And you think they’d take it better now?”

“That’s a hard question to answer, but I have told them about my sexuality and more importantly, I’m not sixteen any more. I get to lead my own life and chose who I want to be with,” Mo explained. “I’m tired of going through the same old motions with guys when there’s another gender to explore and so far the dynamics have been totally different for me. I mean, flirting with women? It’s so much more fun!”

“Thank you!” Stella said. “That’s what I’ve been saying for years!”

“I don’t know about that,” Olivia laughed. She reached over to squeeze Wen’s hand and they shared a smile. “But I’m happy it works for you two.”

“That’s something I’ve always admired about Stella, she’s never been afraid to be unapologetically herself—consequences be damned,” Mo said. “I’ve had crushes on girls over the years, but I was always too timid to do anything about that. I regret that, which is why I decided to do something big and Stella-like by coming out here. I want to live my life to the fullest like she does.”

“Does that mean you’re drafting Stella to help you meet women?” Stephen asked. Stella started at the question. This was the last thing she had expected to field during their Late Show appearance, but considering where the interview had gone it made sense. “Maybe even find a girlfriend?”

“Hey yeah, let’s go to a gay bar,” Mo said eagerly. She turned, grinning at Stella. “You can be my wingman! Show me the ropes.”

“No way,” Stella said, shaking her head.

“Oh come on, you’ve helped Scott and Charlie get dates,” Mo said, smiling sweetly as if that would change her mind. “Help me find a girlfriend.”

“I only help those losers because they’re too pathetic on their own,” Stella insisted as the guys made wounded noises. “You don’t need my help. You’re perfect.”

“Aww,” Olivia cooed.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” Stella spluttered. She could feel her cheeks burning as her bandmates snickered.

“Well, if Stella Yamada declares something, then it must be true,” Charlie said sarcastically.

“Damn straight,” Stella agreed before registering the secondary implications. “Or not.”

Everyone else was laughing too hard to speak. Wen had turned bright red all the way to his shirt collar and fell off his chair. Olivia, who was in better shape than most, reached down and patted her boyfriend’s side. She was probably checking to see if he was still breathing. Charlie and Scott were leaning on each other’s sides laughing helplessly. Even Colbert was having a hard time maintaining his composure. Stella simply crossed her arms and waited impassively for them to stop laughing, as she liked to pretend she was above all it. However, she also started cracking up when she met Mo’s eyes, who was helplessly giggling.

It probably wasn’t really that funny, but the audience seemed to be enjoying their reaction as well. It took half a minute to calm down, but once the group had regained their composure Stephen asked them to play a song. Of course they were happy to play, that had been the initial reason Lemonade Mouth agreed to appear on the Late Show. Once they had their instruments in hand Olivia was supposed to introduce the song, but to everyone’s surprise she turned to Stella and told her to do the honors.

“You may as well do it,” Olivia said when Stella initially expressed reluctance, “after all, you wrote it.”

“Okay,” Stella said dubiously. She grinned at the crowd. “It’s called Gravel To Tempo.”

Perhaps she could have told everyone how the song was initially inspired by how trapped she felt in high school before forming Lemonade Mouth. Or that at its core it was a song about finding confidence and happiness in yourself. Instead Stella counted Charlie off and got the song started. She wanted people to derive meaning from the lyrics, because those were the words that mattered, not from her yammering. From the way the crowd reacted when Stella started singing she knew she had hit her mark or else they really just enjoyed the melody. Either way she killed it.

* * *

Mo’s announcement on national television made quite a splash. If anything, it made the last leg of their tour explosively busy. Everyone wanted to talk to her and the fanmail specifically directed at her tripled. It took Mo forever to read all the letters and deal with interview requests, which sucked up the last of her miniscule spare time. Stella would have told her to ignore the additional responsibilities and take a break, but Mo seemed happier than ever. Sure, Stella had been an out and proud lesbian for years, but she still remembered the stress coming out caused and how much better she felt afterward. It warmed her heart seeing the last of Mo’s visible insecurity fade away as she settled in her own skin. She finally found the confidence in owning her entire identity.

On the downside, their appearance on the Late Show had tabloids calling Stella. They had also gone back to following her, which they hadn’t bothered to do in a couple of years and Stella was out of shape dodging them, which made the entire process infuriating. It seemed they decided that her calling Mo perfect on air was a love confession and wanted all the details of their torrid affair. Technically, when she called her perfect Stella was simply speaking the truth. As far as she could tell, Mo was perfect—in part due to her faults—and while she still wanted to ask her out, that hadn’t been on her mind during the interview. Of course, Stella wasn’t about to share any of that with reporters.

At least her little brothers were getting a kick out of her gaffe. According to her mother, they were buying all the magazines debating her love life and had taken to spreading the silliest rumors they could think of about her online. They might simply be doing it as a new hobby, but Stella was still half convinced it was part of a larger social experiment on conspiracy theorists; she wouldn’t put it past them. It certainly explained some of the more ludicrous things she had heard about herself of late. Overall, Stella did her best to tune them out.

It seemed like it would never come, but eventually they reached the end of their Citrus Explosion tour. The final concert not only had pyrotechnics, but four encores and Olivia sang until her throat gave out. Mo ended up finishing the song for her before Stella expertly thanked the fans and wished them good night. The six of them ended up back at the hotel for a surprisingly low-key celebration considering they had just finished a tour, but it suited most of the band’s mood fairly well. They were exhausted and ready for a break.

“Remind me to never let our manager arrange such a tightly packed schedule again,” Wen sighed as they lay around his hotel suite.

“At least it was an unmitigated success,” Scott pointed out. He took a swig from his bottle of champagne and pointed at Mo. “I think we can thank you for that mid-tour bump in popularity.”

“Oh, a lot of that had to do with the music video,” Mo replied. “Stella was absolutely divine in it.”

“Both,” Olivia croaked.

“True,” Wen agreed. “You both were key parts of Lemonade Mouth having its most successful tour ever.”

“To be fair, we were all essential in making this the most successful tour ever,” Stella said. “Except perhaps for Scott.”

“Hey!” Scott snapped.

“Sick burn,” Charlie laughed. He held out a fist to Stella and she bumped hers against it. Olivia wagged a finger at them, but they just laughed.

“Tempers are obviously all a little frayed after spending ten months in a bus together,” Wen said. “It’ll be nice taking a couple months off before we start recording the next album. ‘Liv and I have a few songs written out, but they’ll need a lot of tweaking and polish before we book a studio.”

“Did you ever pull together that song you were working on, Yamada?” Charlie asked.

“Naw.” Stella shook her head. “I’ve got the melody, but the words won’t come. I’m super not interested in releasing an instrumental either.”

“Luckily, there’s still time before you need it,” Wen grinned. “Any plans for the off season?”

“I’m hoping to finally make it to a gay bar,” Mo said. She poked Stella in the side. “This one still hasn’t taken me and I don’t want to go on my own my first time.”

“Sheesh, talk about not living up to the hype. You’re falling down on the job, Stella,” Scott said. Charlie laughed as Stella threw a couch pillow at Scott. He barely dodged the cushion. “I am so glad I’m getting away from this violent woman for a few months!”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be all beaches and babes,” Charlie agreed. He sat up suddenly. “Shit, I need to pack for Hawaii! You guys’ll ship my gear to my apartment, right?”

“Of course, dude,” Stella replied. Charlie had a habit of jetting off the moment the tour was over and forgetting about his things. Olivia had already set up a pick up time with a shipping company for his bags. As Charlie left Scott got up as well.

“I’m heading out too. I’ve got several groupies that want to show me a night on the town and how could I possibly deny my fans?” Scott said with a shrug. He gave Mo a hug then headed for the door. “I’ll see you all at breakfast tomorrow!”

“I guess the party’s over,” Wen chuckled. He glanced at Stella a couple times like he was expecting something from her. “I propose we call it a night then.”

It took her longer to put things together than it ought to, but in her defense she was exhausted from the concert and just a touch tipsy. Still, once it clicked Stella got to her feet. “Right, you’re totally right, Wen. Hey Mo, why don’t I walk you to your room? If you’re up for it we could have a nightcap.”

“Okay.” Mo rose slowly. If Stella didn’t know better she’d swear Mo gave her a once over then smirked. She leaned into Stella and whispered, “What’s the rush?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Stella promised.

Since she couldn’t talk Olivia insisted on hugging both of them before they left the room. Stella clapped Wen on the back as silent encouragement and promised to see the both of them at breakfast as well. Though if things went right she suspected they’d be late in the morning. As soon as they were in the hallway Mo asked what was going on.

“Wen’s going to propose,” Stella explained as soon as the door shut behind them. “He told me a while back he was going to after the tour ended, but I didn’t realize he meant the same night.”

“Oh wow, that’s fabulous,” Mo laughed. “Do you think we’re going to end up as bridesmaids?”

“Probably,” Stella said as they got on the elevator, “but she can just forget it if she insists on some god awful tacky dress.”

“Like you wouldn’t cave if she begged,” Mo said, lightly punching Stella in the arm.

When they got back to Mo’s room she poured them both glasses of scotch. They speculated about Wen and Olivia for a little longer before Stella had to use the restroom. While she was in the bathroom Stella took a few deep calming breathes. They weren’t under any more pressure, as the tour had just ended, Mo wasn’t fresh off her breakup with Scott anymore, and Stella finally had Mo to herself. It was the perfect time to ask her out.

Stella exited the bathroom and scanned the room for Mo. She was out on the balcony, so Stella downed the rest of her drink and went out to join her. It was a touch chilly out there in just a t-shirt and jeans, but when she leaned on the railing and pressed her arm into Mo she felt nice and warm. Mo seemed to be in a contemplative mood and Stella didn’t want to be the one to break the silence.

“The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was you transferring to Mesa High,” Mo said suddenly, breaking the silence. “If it wasn’t for you, we never would have formed Lemonade Mouth or gotten rich and famous. I probably would have broken up with Scott ages ago, but would be stuck dating some nice Indian boy my parents approved of while struggling in medical school.”

“I doubt you would have struggled,” Stella scoffed. “You're brilliant, Mo, and you’ve got the driven personality that flourishes in med school.”

“My point is, I’m much happier with you in my life,” Mo said. “I really love my life.”

“Good,” Stella said. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out to dinner with me. Maybe Friday night?”

“Sure. We can invite Olivia too and make a girl’s night out of it,” Mo replied, smirking.

“No, I was thinking it could be just the two of us. Like a date,” Stella elaborated. “I mean, I’ve liked you for years, but you were always either dating Scott or busy finding yourself and I never wanted to ask if you weren’t interested. It’s totally cool if you aren’t—I respect the hell out of you and there’ll be no hard feelings. I’ll even help you find a girlfriend if you like. Or at least a couple of nice ladies to bed, since I’ve never been much for relationships.”

“Stella,” Mo grinned when Stella paused for breath. However, she knew she needed to get this all out now before Mo turned her down, so Stella pressed on.

“Maybe trying to have my first serious relationship with a bandmate is a crazy idea. Maybe it’ll fuck everything up, but I think you’re wonderful, Mo, and outside of Lemonade Mouth I’ve never wanted anything as much as much as I want there to be an us. I think we could be something amazing if you gave me a chance. If nothing else, it’ll certainly be memorable.” Stella took a deep shuddering breath before asking Mo the one question she’d waited years to ask. “Will you go out on a date with me, Mo?”

“Finally,” Mo laughed.

“Huh?” Stella said, cocking her head to the side. That wasn’t the response she was expecting.

“I can’t believe I had to come out on national TV for you to finally ask me out,” Mo said, rolling her eyes.

“What?” Stella asked. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me out for almost a year and a half. That was why I broke up with Scott last time.”

“Why didn’t you ask me out?” Stella demanded.

“Because I knew you wouldn’t take it seriously. You’d have dug your heels in and self sabotaged things until I dumped you in disgust.” Mo sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. “I know you, Stella, and the only time you ever put your all into something is when it’s your own idea. It makes you a pain in the ass to work with, but god you’re gorgeous when you’re being passionate.”

“Mo,” Stella said, wrapping her arms around her waist. She stuck her chin on Mo’s shoulder. “You really mean it?”

“Yeah,” Mo said. “And I know that if I’m dating you, I deserve you at your best.”

“Definitely,” Stella agreed. “So is that a yes?”

“Yes, you dork,” Mo laughed. She twisted around in Stella’s arms so that they were facing each other. Running her fingers through Stella’s hair Mo laughed again. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

“Oh yeah?” Stella grinned. “Is there anything else you’ve wanted to do?”

Mo smirked then leaned in and kissed her. She saw it coming, knew exactly what to expect, and had kissed hundreds of ladies before, but it still felt like a dream to Stella. It could have turned into something heated, Stella knew they were both experienced kissers, but Mo pulled back before Stella could really do anything. Her smirk had softened into a genuine smile and Stella could feel that her own grin was so wide it was about to split in two.

“You’ve bragged about your way with the ladies and experience for years,” Mo said. “Care to go inside and back that talk up with a little action?”

“Why Ms. Banjaree, I do declare it sounds like you’re suggesting we break the rules. I haven’t even taken you out on a date yet,” Stella said. She was thrilled by the offer, and couldn’t believe she was second-guessing it, but she also wanted Mo to be sure before they really did this. Having Mo in her life was far more important than getting her in bed.

“I do like sticking to the rules, but every once in a while someone special enough comes along and I make an exception,” Mo admitted. She traced a finger down Stella’s cheek. “I want an actual relationship with you, Stella, but at the moment I have a lot of frustrations I’d really like your help them working out.”

“Your wish is my command,” Stella promised. She kissed Mo again and then the pair headed into the hotel room.


End file.
